Senate committee reviews Special Courts Bill for Overseas Pakistanis & OEC Performance
ISLAMABAD, Aug 13 (SABAH): Senator Zeeshan Khanzada chaired the meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Overseas Pakistani and Human Resource Development held at Parliament House.
The Senate Committee deliberated on the Bill titled “The Establishment of Special Court (Overseas Pakistanis’ Property) Bill, 2024.” Secretary for the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, Dr. Arshad Mahmood, informed that the bill proposes the creation of special courts to address the grievances of overseas Pakistanis regarding illegal occupation of their properties.
The bill allows overseas Pakistanis to submit online petitions and sets a time period of 60 days for resolution of disputes. The Committee opined that the definition of ‘Overseas Pakistanis’ should be redefined and recommended extending the resolution period from 60 to 90 days, as the 60-day period might be insufficient for resolving property disputes.
Furthermore, the Committee was briefed on the working and performance of the Overseas Employment Corporation (OEC). MD of OEC, Naseer Khan Kashani, informed that OEC promotes the emigration of Pakistani manpower for employment abroad and ensures employment under G2G and G2B agreements. MD of OEC apprised that the organization recently inaugurated a CBT lab in Karachi in collaboration with South Korea. OEC is planning to expand the project to other parts of the country. The Committee directed OEC to submit details on future plans for the expansion of the CBT project and the foreign language courses offered in these labs.
The OEC has successfully enhanced the quota of Pakistanis to South Korea to 4,600 annually, and Pakistan has also secured top position among 17 countries in the EPS worker process. Senator Shahadat Awan pointed out that the OEC briefing states that Pakistan’s status has been inactive with UAE, Oman, Turkey, and Kuwait since 2019 and 2020, respectively. The Committee expressed dissatisfaction with the subpar performance of OEC and recommended that OEC make efforts to employ skilled workers from Muslim-friendly and Asian countries.
Secretary for the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, Dr. Arshad Mahmood, stated that the country’s 14 August mission statement will unveil its 10-year plan to achieve the target of $60 billion in remittances. Senator Zeeshan Khanzada highlighted that the expanding the export sector is challenging due to acute energy crisis. He recommended that the government should aim to achieve the $60 billion remittances target in less than ten years, as it represents country’s best hope in these challenging times.
The meeting was attended by Senator Shahadat Awan, Senator Zamir Hussain Ghumro,Senator Syed Kazim Ali Shah,Senator Nasir Mehmood Butt,Senator Dr. Zarqa Suharwardhy Taimur,Secretary for Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Dr. Arshad Mahmood, MD Overseas Employment Corporation Naseer Khan Kashani,DG Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment Muhammad Tayyab and other senior officials of relevant departments were also in attendance.